When all seems lost
by dream me a dream
Summary: Scared and pregnant, Lila finds herself at Hogwarts. But is she safe? There is an evil man pursuing her, and he will not rest until she is within his clutches once again.
1. Prologue

A high, arched stone ceiling swam into view in Lila's vision, as well as three strangely familiar faces. Her whole body ached fiercely when she tried to sit up, but a plump woman pushed her back down.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" asked an old man with very long white hair and spectacles. Lila knew had seen him somewhere, but couldn't quite remember where. Her still hazy mind was fascinated by how his spectacles bounced on his nose as he spoke, but as the question penetrated to her brain, she made an attempt to pull her thoughts together.

"Um, better I guess." Wow, even her throat was sore. How many nerves did the human body contain? Well, however many it was, they all hurt. _Focus, focus_ Lila ordered her wandering brain.

"Of course, most anything is better than being unconscious, yes?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Lila looked around. She was on a hospital bed with curtains drawn around it, but the high stone ceiling suggested she was not in a hospital. Through the space where the curtains joined, she could see a line of metal hospital beds parading down the floor right up to the stone wall. All of the other beds that she could see were empty. "Where am I?"

"Why, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Ministry of Magic asked that you be brought here when it was discovered you have certain—powers."

A tall, thin woman with hair pulled back in a tight bun, spoke. "They have asked that we train you here."

Suddenly a flood of memories swept through Lila's mind, and she pushed herself up in a panic. "No, I can't stay here," she said desperately. "It's not safe for any of you while I'm here."

The plump woman laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, child. This school contains many of the greatest magic-wielders in the country. No one, not even you-know-who, can get you here."

Along with the memories had come the names of the people surrounding her. Madame Pomfrey was the plump witch, and the other two were Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Mcgonagall. Aside from the obvious fact that none of this should be real, Lila was terribly afraid that their sense of security was false. "No, you don't understand. He doesn't use magic like you do. It's a different kind of power. It--"

"We have been informed," Dumbledore interrupted. "The Ministry, in all its fascinating ability to over-dramatize everything, has informed us of your plight. Special security measures have been put in place. This is not the first time we have dealt with your kind."

Her head whirling, Lila lay back on the thin hospital pillow. She really hoped they knew what they were talking about, because if not, the entire school was in terrible danger. But in her physical state, there was nothing she could do at the moment.

That, and she had to figure out how in the world Hogwarts could exist, when it was supposed to be a fantasy tale. Well, after all that had happened, she guessed anything was possible.


	2. Chapter 2

When Lila woke the next morning, it was to the sound of Madam Pomfrey pulling the curtains aside. Bright sunlight spilled in through huge windows on the opposite side of the infirmary, making Lila blink.

"Well, you feeling up to a bit of breakfast?" The bustling nurse asked.

Lila stretched slightly, glad to feel that her muscles had lost most of their soreness. "Yes, I think so."

"Since you are physically healthy, the headmaster has ordered that you join the students in the Great Hall. He believes that the less mystery there is surrounding your addition to the students, the less curiosity you will be subjected to."

"He's pretty smart, isn't he?"

"Some say he is the best headmaster Hogwarts has ever had."

Lila swung her legs over the side of the bed, and discovered she was wearing a thin hospital gown. Pomfrey handed her a school uniform. "Now dear, I know it is not what you are accustomed to, but I wold appreciate it if you would allow me to examine your injuries before you dress."

The nurse pulled the curtains back around the bed, and gently but firmly prodded the thick scar that started at the base of Lila's right shoulder and extended all the way to her left hip. "How does it feel?"

"Better. It is only a little sore now."

"Good." Madame Pomfrey glanced over several other scars, a healed one encircling Lila's left ankle, and a cut over her right cheekbone. "Well, it looks like everything is healing nicely. Would you like me to remove the scars?" She reached into a pocket of her apron and pulled out a wand.

Lila reached out and stopped her. "I think I'd rather keep them. It is not a time I wish to remember, but they are experiences I can never forget. Nor should I, I think."

"If that is what you wish." The wand went back into the pocket, and the nurse nodded, then stepped outside the curtain. "When you are dressed, I will take you down to breakfast."

Lila slipped the gown off and pulled on the clothing, finding that it was at least a size too big, except around the waistline. "I think it's too big," Lila said, stepping out from behind the curtains. The gray sweater was draped over her arm, while she had put on the crisp white shirt and the skirt, also gray.

The nurse took her wand out again. "We can fix that," she said. She muttered a quick incantation, and Lila found that the clothes now fit much better—except that they were now quite tight around the waistline.

"What's this?" Madame Pomfrey asked, casting a sharp eye at Lila's stomach.

Lila just shrugged. She hadn't seen a mirror in months, so the change hadn't been obvious.

The nurse waved her wand once again, and the air between them was filled with a 3D picture of Lila's insides. To her shock, there was something in there she had not expected.

"Did you know you were pregnant?" Pomfrey asked, letting the picture fade and looking Lila in the eye.

Completely stunned, Lila shook her head. "I had no idea..." Finally it all made sense. She had not been his only test subject, and not the only one that had escaped. What made her different? Why had he been chasing her these last months? The Ministry had moved her through a selection of twelve different isolated locations just to keep her out of his reach. When he had finally caught up with her, they had sent her here. _He is chasing me because I carry his test-tube baby—his little clone. He wants me because he wants it back. He doesn't want to let it get away, because with all the girls escaped or dead, I am his last hope to have a child just like him._

________________

After the shocking discovery, Madame Pomfrey had allowed Lila to stay in the infirmary, and had sent a house elf (quite a shock to someone unused to seeing them) to bring her something to eat. Soon after, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and others Lila recognized as Snape, and a man that could only be Professor Slughorn stood gathered in the corner, speaking in low voices. _That means I'm here during the trio's sixth year. I wonder how that worked out—I thought the writer's time line in the books coincided with our own. Well, not knowing how she got the information to write the books, maybe she was off by a couple years, or I'm in an alternate time line, or something else happened. Who knows? I wouldn't put anything out of the realm of possibility after everything that's happened. _At this thought, darker memories threatened to surface, so Lila focused on her breakfast. A tray sat on her lap, loaded with a stack of buttered toast, a half-dozen slices of bacon, three fried eggs, a cup of mixed fruit, and a goblet of what could only be pumpkin juice. Lila had always wondered what it tasted like—not what she had expected, but certainly not bad.

The house-elf had disappeared with a joyful squeak after Lila thanked it—leaving her to wonder what she was supposed to to with the majority of this mountain of food. There was no way she'd ever be able to eat all of it.

"You must be quite important," a wry voice came from a bed to the left. Lila was surprised not to have noticed that the bed was occupied, but the boy had been silent up to that point. He wore a white shirt and pants, and a bandage covered the entire top of his head.

"What happened to you?" Lila asked, shoving a piece of bacon into her mouth.

The small, dark-haired boy shrugged. "One of those Slytherin thugs always following Malfoy around hexed me. I dunno which one it was, but there I was, minding my own business, and next thing I know there's purple tentacles growing from my head.

Lila winced. "That must have been unpleasant." She picked up a piece of toast. "Want some?"

The boy nodded hungrily. "They've hardly fed me since I've been here. You wouldn't believe what an appetite I've worked up, sleeping in this hard bed all night."

Lila laughed. "I can imagine." Leaning over, she handed three slices of toast to the boy, then turned back to her breakfast. "So, what's your name?"

"Frederick Wosley. I like being called Fred, but that often gets me confused with Fred Weasely, that jokester in Griffindor. Personally, I think the Griffindors are much too full of themselves."

"I'm Lila."

The boy had stuffed his mouth full of toast, yet it did not deter him from speaking. "I haven't seen you around—what house are you in?"

"I just got here, so I'm not in a house. I don't know if they'll even put me in one. I may not be here very long."

"Aren't you a bit old to be just starting?"

"Unusual circumstances."

Lila fell silent, hoping Fred would change the subject, and after a while he seemed to get the hint. "Well, if you're going to stay here, I'm sure they will assign you a house eventually. Everyone has to be in a house, you know."

"I know. I have heard about Hogwarts, but I thought it was just a story until now."

Fred nodded, having managed to stuff so much toast in his mouth that he couldn't chew, let along speak. After a moment, he managed to swallow, and mumbled, "Which one you think you'll be in?"

Lila shrugged. "I have no idea. Not Slytherin, probably."

Fred shook his head vehemently, having managed to get most of the toast down. "You don't look evil enough."

Laughing, Lila said "Well, thanks I guess."

"No, basically the smart ones go into Ravenclaw—I'm in Ravenclaw, by the way—the hard workers get into Hufflepuff, the brave ones go into Griffindor, and the 'ambitious' ones go to Slytherin."

"I take it you don't like Slytherin."

"Are you kidding? Only the Slytherins like Slytherin. The rest of us know that 'ambitious' just stands for 'stuck up and evil'."

"Ah." Feeling like she had eaten as much as she could, Lila offered the rest of the tray to Fred, who took it eagerly. As he began to stuff his mouth hungrily, she glanced over at the huddle of teachers to see that Professor Snape, a tall, sallow-complected man with greasy black hair, had begun walking toward her.

"The Headmaster has expressed a desire that I teach you the art of Occlumency, or how to shield your mind from outside invasion or influence."

Lila was a bit surprised by the abrupt statement, but quickly processed what he'd said. "How did you know that's how he's finding me?"

"As the Headmaster has most likely told you, we have dealt with your kind before."

"It shouldn't be too hard—I already know how to do that stuff."

"Then how is it that he has continued to locate you?"

Lila sighed. "Because that stupid little man at the Ministry always insisted on contacting me that way, which meant I couldn't shield my mind. I tried to tell them that was why he kept finding me, but they didn't believe me."

Snape looked just a bit nonplussed, but simply said, "You will meet me in my office at 10 o'clock sharp tomorrow night, and we will assess the strength of your abilities, and whether you will need to be trained."

Lila was pretty sure she'd pass the test, but knew it wouldn't do any good to argue. "I'll be there."

At that moment the rest of the adults came up to Lila's bedside. "Once you are feeling better my dear, you will come to my office and we will have you placed into your house. Then Minerva here will test your other skills to see where you place. I believe Severus has already spoken to you about learning Occlulmency, is that correct?"

Lila nodded.

"Good. Then, once our dear Poppy here has released you, come straight on up to see me. I am sure you can find one of the students to direct you." His bright eyes twinkled over his spectacles, and he winked before turning around and sauntering off. Lila wondered how someone so old could walk with such a spring in his step, but maybe it was magic. Who knew?

"Well, I don't see any reason she can't go now," said Pomfrey. "Child, run along and catch up with the Headmaster, you might as well get everything over with so your life can go back to normal."

Lila laughed a little bitterly as she swung her legs out of the bed. "My life has never been normal, but I know what you mean."

The rest of the adults left, but McGonagall stayed behind. She put a thin hand on Lila's shoulder, her stern face softened considerably by a look of compassion. "What the others have told you is true. You are as safe here as you can be."

"That may not be saying much," Lila replied.

"Even you-know-who fears Dumbledore. If anyone can keep you safe, he can."

Lila still wasn't completely convinced, but it was obvious these people were. "Thanks." After McGonagall dropped her hand, Lila walked quickly to catch up with Dumbledore.


End file.
